Tomahawks hand Spartans their first loss
Published 9:12 am Friday, May 15, 2009
MARYSVILLE — The Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks softball team needed a win in the worst way.
They had been on a losing streak and were fighting for their playoff lives. To an outsider, things didn’t look good, seeing undefeated Stanwood on the schedule Thursday night.
That didn’t matter much to the Tomahawks, who dealt Stanwood its first loss of the season with a 3-2 victory in 12 innings.
Despite having a losing record, Marysville (6-8 league, 8-9 overall) knew it could play with Stanwood (14-1, 17-1 overall) after an 11-inning battle earlier in the season, in which the Tomahawks lost 3-2.
“We just decided that we weren’t giving up,” Tomahawks coach KT Allyn said.
The Tomahawks didn’t win the conventional way either, they just managed three hits in the game, but Stanwood pitcher Brittany Jeans walked 10 batters on the day and hit two others.
The winning run scored in the bottom of the 12th inning when Jeans walked Sacha Clow with the bases loaded and two outs. Megan Bombach scored the winning run. Jeans, who had nine strike outs, had struck out the previous two batters.
“I was impressed with her discipline,” Allyn said of Clow laying off the final pitch.
The win lifted the spirits of the Marysville team.
“We were thrilled to win a game, and a close game. The fact that it was an undefeated Stanwood team and we went 11 innings the first time was the icing on the cake,” Allyn said. “I have been impressed with my girls desire to try hard when they have lost so many games. It would be easy for them to have thrown in the towel and they haven’t.”
Marysville remains tied for the Wesco North five seed with Monroe. If both teams remained tied after today’s final regular season game, the two teams will play tomorrow for the right to play the Wesco South four seed in a play-in game on Monday.
At Marysville-Pilchuck H.S.
Stanwood000020000000—272
M-P000001100001—331
Jeans and Bingham. Fritz and Perrine, Bombach (3). WP—Fritz (4-5). LP—Jeans. 2B—Martinez (M-P), Bosse (S), Hochstetler (S). 3B—Jeans (S). Records—Stanwood 14-1 league, 17-1 overall. Marysville-Pilchuck 6-8, 8-9.
